Dear dimwit on the phone

Had a box score sent in a couple years ago with just the first names for the out-of-area team.

 

We had a Schwarz and a Schwartz on one team this year.

And I'll admit to making an error last spring, mixing up two kids named Mason P. Not playing the same sport, but both played for one school. Both teams played that day, so probably had one on the brain while typing the other brief. So on one page of the paper, one of them was named in both a baseball and golf story, which were in two different towns. Not my finest moment.

 

Those are the times I'm glad our high school association website has rosters for all teams (assuming the coach/AD uploaded them).

 

One year, we had a water polo team with two players with the same name, though unrelated. For conveince here, it was like John T. Jones and John Q. Jones. Had a coach or parent mail in results most of the time and they made the differentiation for us.

One of my problems with being dependent on Maxpreps, beyond hoping rosters from out-of-area teams are uploaded, is there's not a lot of wiggle room on punctuation. For example, Podunk Tech guard Mike D'Antoni will be Dantoni, Springfield High pitcher Jacob deGrom will be Degrom, etc.

 

This is a from a dimwit PIO

Podunk, December 15, 2017:
Podunk Creek Elementary School welcomed its new Principal at the beginning of this school year. Mr. Prince Ipal, former Assistant Principal for Podunk Creek, was promoted to Principal after Dr. Former Boss became Springfield Elementary School’s Principal.

Ignoring the terrible capitalizations, the former principal was named to her new post in March, school started Aug. 7, and the first semester ended today. Why did it take so long to get the release out?

That $85,000 annual salary for the PIO is well spent.

 

We got a "you're costing our daughter a college scholarship" complaint today about our all-area team. She wasn't on the honorable mention list.

 

I'm excited to get these emails starting this weekend! All-area football teams come out tomorrow. Due to a change in format, our AA list is 33 deep this year after being over 50 deep last year. Last year we did 1st/2nd team offense/defense plus an honorable mention list. This year, just a 1st and 2nd team with honorable mention. Saves time and space.

 

Got an email tonight from a wrestling triangular.
Matches are listed by weight class, with the winner listed first.
But:
No team scores or indication of which team won.
Not all weight classes are listed, so I'm left to assume those were double forfeits.
No wrestler identified by team.
Other than saying if a match ended by pin, tech fall, major decision, decision or forfeit, no scores or relevant data on any of the matches.

 

Ugh, holy fuck. I sometimes wonder if school districts realize how little they'd have to offer to get competent reporters to take that sort of job. Then again, I realize that "job" is almost certainly created to help a pal out anyway.

 

Had a coach Email in a boys box score. Took pics of scorebook.
Not usually a problem, but he took vertical pics of the horizontal book. I don't know why people do this.
And he cut off part of the left side of each book, trimming off the first names and school name for each team.
My computer won't let me rotate the actual picture, but I can change the layout from portrait to landscape. However, that just means each pic is still a vertical in landscape version. Don't yell at me, it's the company's cheap software.
Finally get it printed.
Then realize it's from last night. It was Emailed in at 6:07 a.m.
I just wasted 10 minutes of my time (yes, our systems meant it took me 10 minutes) finagling everything so I could read it and get it printed, and it winds up being last night's game, which means I just tossed everything in the recycling pile.

 

Got the coach of Team A to shoot a picture of the scorebook and send it to me. The individual scoring is tallied up for both teams, and I add it up myself to make sure. Adds up to 53-50, Team B is the winner, and I write the brief accordingly.
Wrong.
Team A won 51-49, and now we're the ones that look like idiots.
Thanks, Coach.

 

My mother asked me to proof papers her service club is sending out to local schools for potential college students. Yes, some students will be rewarded, but, doggone it, she really is going to cost some kids a scholarship!